Beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle



D. 0. ROYSTER,

BEVERAGE sHzPPmG man msPENsm RECEPTACLE.

4 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 19H.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID O. ROYSTER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921.

Application filed September 25, 1917. Serial No. 193,077.

To all whom t 'may concern.' l

Be it known that I, DAviD O. Rorsrnn, a citizen of 'the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri., have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Beverage Shipping and DispensingV Receptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make'and use, the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisY specification.

My invention relates to improvements in l containers or receptacles for the storage,

shipment,j and dispensing of beverages or potable liquids, particularly the various socalled cereal beverages now generally manufactured and sold through the country and also soda-water, ginger-ale, and the like. -V It will be understood that in Vpractically all the cereal beverages now manufactured and sold, there is `an alcohoiic content of not more than one-half of one per cent., and further,`that it is the present practice to put up these beverages in comparatively small bottles which are sold to the consumers.

Heretofore it has been impossible to put up the beverages in comparatively large containers and dispense said beverage in comparativelysmall quantities, and it is one of the objects of my invention to provide a comparativelyV simple package which includes a large glass bottle or a container having a glazed or enameled inner surface, such provision insuring the maintenance of the beverage in perfect condition from the time it is manufactured until it is dispensed to the consumer. y

It is not feasible to use large wooden containers in the shipment of cereal beverages in bulky and the dispensing thereof, for 'the reason that it is impossible to control the alcoholic content of the beverage while in the wood container. The beverage so contained cannot be asteurized to revent fermentation for the reason that the walls of the wood container are porous and foreign age of the contents or the ingress of air, and said top being also provided with means which can be sealed so as to prevent the package from being tampered with while in storage or transportation.

Further my invention contemplates suitable connections whichvcan be readily 'made with the closure of the hottie or container. and which connections permit the contents of the container to be dispensed as desired.

My Y invention further contemplates the use of a suitable housing or casing in which the bottle or package is positioned While the contents are being dispensed, said outer housing being provided withV a chamber adapted to receive ice whereby the contents of the package are kept cold.

,lv/Vith the foregoing and VotherV objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure l is a vertical section taken through the center of a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle of my improved construction Fig. 2 is an enlarged view taken through the neck and upper portion of the bottle or beverage container and showing the removable cap in position over the mouth of said container;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of tional packing ring forming a part invention;

Fig. i is a plan view of the cap which is removably positioned on the inouthof the bottle for the purpose of sealing the same;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a ring which is positioned on the neck of the bottle container;

6 is an elevational vieiv ofthe upper endof the neck of the bottle or container and showing a cap positioned thereupon which cap is utilized when the container packed for storage or shipment;

Fig. 7 is a horizoi'ital'section taken approximately on the line 7--7 of Fig. l.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, i0 designates a secoi' my a container, preferably formed of glass or of earthen ware or other material having an enameled orglazed inner surface, and said container being preferably shapedv like a VThe Closure for the mouth of this container comprises a plate 14 formed of bleek tin or suitable metal heavily coated with tin, said plate being provided on its underside With a. packing disk l5 of cork or analogous material. `When this closure is properly applied for use, it is arranged with the packing disk 15 bearing directly against the outer edge of the lip 12, as illustrated in vFig. 2.

' l" rined integral with plate 14 and efitending outwardly therefrom is a tubular valve housing 16, the outer end of which is threaded as designated by 17, and arranged for operation Within said valve housing isa tapered valve plug 1S, the same beingprovided with a diametrieally arranged slot or port 19, and one end of said valve plug terminates in a nen-circular shank 20, which latter is adapted to reeeive Y a key or Wrench whereby the valve may be rotated into open or closed position.

Formed integral with plate 14 is an elbow-shaped valve housing 2l, the outer end of which is threaded as designated by 22, and connected to the inner end of this elbow is an air inlet tube 23, preferably of bleek tin, glass or enameled material, said tube being of surh length as to extend almost to the bottom ofthe container 10. Arranged for operation Within this valve housing 21 is a tapered valve plug 24 provided with a diametrically arranged slot or port which Ais ada ated te resister with the uassaseiva f o .l Q

or to through the valve housing, and one end said valve plug terminates in a square non-Circular stem 24n which is adapted reeeive'an operatingkey or handle.

Formed integral with the edge of plate 14 and projeetingg` outwardly therefrom are lugs or ears 25, the saine being provided With short radially disposed vslots 26, the outer ends of which are open.

A ring 27, preferably of metal and of such size as to slip freely downward over lipv l2 is provided in its underside with a groove 28, Whiwh latter is adapted to receive the ends of hooks 29 which are ferr ed on the leiver ends of (zlainpiire` members 30. These members are in the form of short rods, the upper ends of which threaded and adapted to effeupy the slots 2G in ears 25. Screw-seated on the upper ends of these clampingl members are Winged nuts 31, the Wings of which are provided with apertures 32.

The inner face of ring 27 is beveled and adapted to fit Within said ring and bear against said faire is a two-part parking ring 33, the inner face 34 of which is curved so as to t snugly against shoulder 13 at the lower end of lip 12.

When it is desired to firmly seat the plate 14 on the mouth of the container to close and seal the same, the two-part packing ring is positioned Within ring 27 and the two rings are new shifted upon neck 11 until the inner fave of parking ring against shoulder 13. The hooks 29 at the lower ends of the clamping members 20 are new eneaged in groove 23 and the upper ends of said damping members are positioned in slots 26.

The winged nuts 31 are noiv manipulated so as to bear on top of-'ears or lugs 25, and as these nuts are tightened, the rings 27 and will be drawn upward to engage With considerable pressure against shoulder 13 and at the sar/ie time plate 14 will be i'irmly pressed against the outer edge of lip 12.

The beverage forinifip,l the contents of the Container is non' de .i d through the tubular valve housing 16, it being understood that valve is moved into Vopen position,

after the container has been Afilled, said valve 10 and valve are closed, thus effei-tually preventiung` the ingress of air into the Container, and likewise preventing the esfape of air or beverage from said eentainer. y

lilith the mouth of the container thus ef- `i'eetualh` sealed, the package and its contents can be readily pasteurized to arrest and hold fermentation of the contents, and a `:ter pasteurizing, the paekage may be subjected to any normal temperatures Without :nfeeinino: the Contents. rllhus the package ran be shipped and stored Without the neessity of its being` placed in cold storage or in a refrigerator ear, and consequently the package and its contents can be very eeonoiniivally handled from the manufacturer to the retailer.

ill-, nother desirable feature in connection wih t improved means packaging comw paratively lar-:ire quantities of be.W ,ige for storage and sl., nient, is the advantage in iveigzht as reni methods :rf shipping;y ,L beverages, for the total vf of a. pafkae'e of my improved ionstruetfen for a given quantity oflbever- :ure is materially less than the Weight of ige under the present practise. rllhis v,j results in a material saying;` of xiaiion Charges.

.JZ ivliieh supports the two-part rino` 33 is proriiled with tivo o-' s of entwarf. v projecting` ears 35, outer ends or these ears are perforated as designated by 36 in order to receive a sealing),` nire, as hereinafter more fully explained.

lllheu the eootainer is parked for storage or transportation, a. metal cap 37 of sufficient size to inelose the upper end of the neek of the bottle, the plate 14 and parts arried thereby, is placed upon said plate,

p, and the bears' and when so positioned, the lower end of this cap 37 rests directly on top of the pairs vof ears 35. (See Fig. 6.)

Formed integral with the lower edge of kthis cap are depending vlugs 38 which lit snugly into the slots or spaces between the pairs of ears 35 and depending from said lugs 3S are threaded stems 39 which receive -winged nuts 40. When these winged nuts (See Fig. 6.) This arrangement serves to yprevent the package from' being tampered with while in storage or transportation, and to further seal the package, a suitable sealing wire such Aas 43 can be threaded through the pertures 32 in the wings of nuts 31. (See ig. 2. n

The )cooling and dispensing box or container utilized in connection with my improved receptacle is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, and includes a substantially rectangular box 44 of wood or metal, the same being preferably lined with a layer 45 of heat insulating material and with an inner wall or llayer 46 of sheet metal, the same holding thev insulating material in-place-a-nd serving to make the box substantially water-tight.

, Thisbox is provided with a removable cover 47 and with a vertically disposed metal wall Y 4S of sufficient size to receive the bottle or K a bottom for the ice chamber.

'portion of wall 48V vis perforated in order to vpermit cool air to circulate from the ice space into the space-occupied by the container 10. Y y

A portion of the front wall of the box is removed below the corresponding portion 50 of the metal wall to forman opening 51 into the chamber in which the dispensing connections are located. This chamberdesignated bythe numeral l52is located between the bott-om of the box, and the horizontallydisposed walls 50, and the rear portion of the The upper f bottom of the box below this chamber is preferably inclined downward and rearwardly, there being a normally closed outlet 53 at the rear end of said inclined bottom.

Chamber 52 is adapted to contain chipped ice and the latter can be utilized for cool-- ing beverages contained in comparatively small bottles.

When the bottle or container l0 is positioned in the dispensing box, it is inverted and its neck 11 and the parts carried thereby extend downward through tubular member 49. The inner end of a dispensing faucet 54 is connected to the threaded end of tubular valve stem 16 by'means of a union 55 and when valve 18 is turned into open position, the contents of Vthe bottle or container can be drawn through said faucet 54, as desired. This faucet 54 extends outward toward the open end of chamber 52 and its discharge end is positioned directly over a glass receiving plate '56, the latter being located on the bottom of the box.

` VLocated in the bottom of the ice'chaniber above the horizontally disposed wall 50 is an air pipe 57, one end of which leads downward into chamber 52 and said end being secured to the threaded end 22 of elbow 2l by means of a union 58. VThe opposite end of this'air pipe is connected to an air pump 59, the latter being located in chamber 52 near the front thereof. 'By this construction, all air entering the bottle or container l0 is cooled in passing through pipe 57, which latter is located in the bottom of the ice chamber around said bottle or container, and if the pressure should become low in said bottle, additional pressure can be created by proper manipulation of air pump Located in the ice chamber adjacent to pipe 57 is a coiled pipe 60, one end of which is connected to a water supply pipe 61, and the opposite end being provided with a fau-4 cet 62 which is positioned within chamber 52 adjacent to faucet 54. This arrangement provides means for maintaining in the dispensing apparatus a supply of water, the same being cooled as it passes through the coil 60, and which latter is located in the ice compartment.

y A shipping and dispensing receptacle of my improved construction is comparatively simple, is particularly applicable for handling in comparatively large packages the cereal beverages which'are now generally manufactured and sold throughout the country,v and by vvirtue of the peculiar construction of the container and the improved means of sealing the same, the contents of said container can be pasteurized, thus permitting the package to ybe later stored and shipped in any normal temperature without injury or deleterious results.

Further, my improved construction provides a container which 'can be'very economically used in the handling of all kinds ot liquids which are necessarily shipped from manufacturer to retailer, and when the container is positioned in the dispensing re'- ceptacle, it can be very easily and economically cooled, and in such condition dispensed to the trade.

1t will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction ot the various parts of my improvedshipping and dispensing receptacle can be made and substituted tor those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit ot my invention, the scope ot which is set forth in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. lin a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition therein, which partition divides the space within the housing into upper and lower compartments, the same being connected by an opening, a wall arranged within the upper compartment to form a container chamber and an ice,

chamber, container located in the container chamber and provided with'a tubular c21- tension which projects downward between the opening in the upper and lower chambers ot the housing, means normally closing p the mouth ot the tubular neck, a tube leadice chamber, and a valve in said air tube.

2. In a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition therein, which partition divides the space within the housing into upper and lower compartments, the same being connected by an opening, a wall arranged within the upper compartment to form a container chamber and an ice chamber, a container located in the container chamber and provided with a tubular extension which projects downward between the opening in the upper and lower chambers of the housing, means normally closing the'lnouth ot the tubular neck, a. tubo leading from said closing means downwardly vinto the lower chamber within the housing, a valve near said tube, an air tube extending through the closing neans, a portion ot which tube isarranged in the lower portion of the ice chamber, a valve in said air tube, apipe arranged in the form ot a. coil and positioned in the lower portion ot' the ice compartment, one end of which pipe extends downwardly into the chamber in the lower portion ot the housing, and the other end oic said pipe adapted to be connected to a water supply pipe. Y

3. 1n a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition dividing the space within said housing into upper and lower compartments, the front of the lower compartment being open, there being an opening in the center ot said partition, a wall extending upwardly troni said partition around said opening to formA va container chamber and an ice chamber, a container positioned within the container chamber, a tubular neclr depending trom said container. and extending through the opening in the partition, a closure plate detachably applied to the end ot the tubular neclr, valves on said closure plate, a faucet detachably connected to one of said valves, an air pipe connected to the other one ot said valves, a portion ot which air pipe occupies the lower portion ot the ice chamber and another portion extending through the closure plate upwardly into the container d. 1n a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition dividing the space within said housing into ugper and lower compartments, the iront ot the lower compartment being' open, there being an opening in t-he center ot' said partition, a wall extending upwardly trom said partition around said opening to forma container chamber and an icc chamber, a container positioned within the container chamber, tubular neclr depending trom said container and extending through the opening in the partition, a closure plate detachably applies to the end ot the tubular neck, valves on said closure plate, a faucet detachably connected to one ot said valves, an air pipe connecting the other one ot said valves, a portion of which air pipe occupies the lower portion ot the-ice chamber and another portion extending through the closure plate upwardly into the container, and a pump connected to said air pipe.

5. 1n a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition dividing the space within said housing into upper and lower compartments, the front ofthe lower compartment being open, there being an opening in the renter of said partition, a wall extending upwardly from said partition around said opening to term a container chamber and an icc ch amber, a beverage con tainer positioned within the container chamber, said container having a tubular neck which depends through the opening in the partition, aclosure plate detachably applied tition, a wall extending upwardly from said partition around said opening to form a container chamber and an ice chamber, a beverage container positioned within the container chamber, said container having a tubular neck which depends through the opening in the partition, a closure plate detachably applied to the end of the tubular neck, and means on said plate for receiving tubular connections.

7. In a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition dividing the space within said housing into upper and lower compartments, the front of the lower Compartment being open, there being an opening inthe center osaid partition, a container removably arranged in the upper compartment and having a neck extending downwardly through the opening in the partition, a closure plate detachably applied to the end of the tubular neck, a Jfaucet connected to said plate, and an air pipe secured to and extending through said plate.

8. in a beverage shipping and dispensing receptacle, a housing, a partition dividing the space within said housing into upper and lower compartments, the front of the lowerl compartment being open, there being an opening in the center oi' said partition, a container removably arranged in the upper compartment and having a neck extending downwardly through the opening in the partition, a closure plate detachably applied to the end of the tubular neck, nipples projecting from said closure plate, valves in said nipples, a faucet connectedrto one of said nipples, and an air pipe connected to the other nipple.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature this 21st day of September, 1917.

DAVID o. RoYsTER.. 

